Better Than Me
by Jenzy Shelton
Summary: House/Cameron one-shot. Based on the song "Better Than Me" by Hinder. House over reacts when he increases his Vicodin and kicks Cameron out. Setting: Future, possibly AU. Only a bit of smut, but still smut. Enjoy. :D


_**Title:**_ Better Than Me

_**Author's Note #1: So I've been dealing with some major bi-polar issues along with some other stuff. The song "Better Than Me" by Hinder came on my media player and this is, more or less, what popped into my mind. Enjoy. 3**_

_**Author's Note #2: If you'd like to see the ring House has for Cameron let me know and I'll send you the link.**_

_**Disclaimer: Neither House or Cameron belongs to me, nor does the song "Better Than Me" by Hinder.**_

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_**I think you can do much better than me,**_

_**After all the lies that I made you believe.**_

_**And guilt kicks in and I start to see,**_

_**The edge of the bed where your nightgown used to be.**_

_**I told myself I won't miss you,**_

_**But I remembered what it feels like beside you!**_

_**I really miss your hair in my face,**_

_**And the way your innocence tastes!**_

_**And I think you should know this,**_

_**You deserve much better than me!**_

Looking down at the foot of his bed, House sighs. He'd give anything to see one of her 'nightgowns' at the foot of the bed. They were usually his old shirts, but a few times she'd surprised him with a silk or lace nightie.

"_Get out! I don't fucking need you judging me!"_

"_I'm not judging you, Greg! I'm worried about you!"_

"_Well stop it and get the fuck out!"_

"_Fine! Kill yourself for all I fucking care!"_

"Why the hell did I do that?" House asks himself, sighing. All Cameron had ever done, since she'd shown up, was be there for him, support him, and make him happy. And two weeks ago he'd fucked it all up and now she's gone. And somehow he knows she won't be back.

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_**While looking through your old box of notes,**_

_**I found those pictures I took that you were looking for.**_

_**If there's one memory I don't want to lose,**_

_**It's that time at the mall, you and me in the dressing room!**_

About a month later, on a random day, House is looking through a box and smiles, finding a stack of photos Cameron had taken. Most of them were of him, but there's a few of her and a few of them together. He misses her intensely. He spots one of her in a yellow bikini with white polka dots and remembers that day in the mall.

"_You look amazing," he says, his hands skimming over her toned hips. "Good enough to eat," he whispers in her ear, and then starts to pull her to the dressing room._

_A few minutes later, he's got her on the seat inside the dressing room, at the very edge, totally naked. "Greg, we're gonna get caaaaahhh!" she gasps, arching into him._

"_We are if you keep that up," he says, smirking as his talented tongue teases her folds and then her clit._

"_Smug bastaaaaaahhrd!" she gasps, then clamps one of her own hands over her mouth as her boyfriend goes down on her._

"_Mmm…so sweet, so wet," he moans, then slowly slides in two long fingers into her tight channel._

_In no time at all, Cameron is gasping and thrashing, her orgasm building up until she clamps both hands over her mouth and lets out a loud, long moan, soaking House's face and hands it's such an intense orgasm._

He sighs and shakes his head. "I really am an idiot," he says, then lets out a grunt and holds onto his side as yet another pain hits him. He pops two Vicodin and washes them down with a glass of scotch.

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"Let me call her, House…she loves you. Do you think she'll want you to go through this alone?" Wilson's voice asks.

Two months ago Cameron had left New Jersey. She couldn't keep watching her beloved kill himself with all the Vicodin he'd been taking, and a week ago, Wilson noticed that House's eyes were jaundiced. His liver was failing.

"No. She's moved on, like she should have years ago. If I die…at least I won't be in pain anymore," he says, shifting in his hospital bed a bit.

Wilson sighs and shakes his head. "I gotta go check a few lab tests. I'll bring lunch when I get back okay?"

"Yeah…here's to hoping I can keep my food down," he says, looking across the room at himself, taking in the yellow tint to the whites of his eyes and skin. When Wilson leaves, House sighs and slumps into his elevated bed and does something he hasn't done in a very long time. He cries. "I miss you so much, Ally…but you deserve much better than me…" he says, sighing as sleep claims him.

Unknown to House, Wilson is doing exactly what he'd told him not to. "Cameron? It's Wilson…you need to come back to Princeton…House's liver is failing…"

"I'll be there as soon as possible. I don't care what it takes but don't you let him give up! If he does something to himself…"

"I'll stay with him until you get here. Just hurry."

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_**I told myself I won't miss you,**_

_**But I remembered what it feels like beside you!**_

_**I really miss your hair in my face,**_

_**And the way your innocence tastes!**_

_**And I think you should know this,**_

_**You deserve much better than me!**_

_**The bed I'm lying in is getting colder,**_

_**Wish I never would've said it's over,**_

_**And I can't pretend…**_

_**I won't think about you when I'm older,**_

_**'Cause we never really had our closure,**_

_**This can't be the end!**_

Four hours later, Cameron steps into PPTH and calls Wilson's cell. "Where are you? What floor and what room?"

"Third, 201. He's asleep right now."

"Get papers ready to do a live donor organ transplant."

"You found a match already? How?"

"Years ago I noticed we had a lot in common, Greg and I. I did a few tests and discovered interesting. We're a match. Now move your ass and get those papers," she says, then hangs up, running as fast as she can up the stairs. Once she gets to her ex's room she's shocked by what she sees. He looks horrible compared when she left.

"House?" she murmurs softly, her hand automatically moving to caress his scruffy face to try to wake him. Even after two and a half months some habits are hard to break.

"Mmffff…" he groans, which makes Cameron smirk softly.

"Wake up House," she says softly, giving him a little shake. When this doesn't work , she dips her finger tips in a glass of ice water and flicks her fingers at his face, which makes him bolt up and look around, confused.

"Ally…how…?"

"Wilson called. You should have had him call me when you first suspected something was wrong," she scolds him, then sits on the edge of his bed. There are so many things going through her head and she doesn't know where to start. She has no clue whatsoever. Medical stuff now, private stuff later she finally decides.

"I found a match, a living donor willing to go under the knife and do a live transplant. But there's a condition. She wants you to give up the Vicodin and Morphine. For good. You did it once, you can do it again. You're stronger than you give yourself credit for." She moves her left hand to cover his right hand and gives it a gentle squeeze. Would she take him back after this? She doesn't know. With the way things ended, she's not sure she wants to try again. But it IS House. Greg. HER Greg.

"Way ahead of this person. Detoxing with liver failure is a real pain in the ass," he says, then rubs his thumb over her knuckles. "I'm sorry," he whispers, but she hears it none the less.

She sighs softly and gives his hand a gentle squeeze. "We'll talk about that later, okay? Right now we're waiting for Wilson to bring the papers in for the transplant," she explains.

"So who's the donor? I'd like to meet her."

"You already know her," she admits, biting her lower lip.

House's eyebrows raise in shock. "You? No, no way Ally. Not gonna happen."

"Not your choice. Like I told you once, I love you and I always will, and I'll be damned if I'm going to let you die. Not when I can save you. It's tricky, I know, but it'll be worth it."

"Does this mean…you're coming home?" he asks, not daring to sound hopeful.

She sighs. "I don't know, House. You hurt me really badly with what you did. For now let's just this taken care of okay?" she asks, then leans forward and hugs him tightly.

Tears once again escape his tightly closed eyes as he hugs her soft, warm body to his. Finally he relaxes and looks up at her and it becomes clear what he should have done months ago. But he can't do it now, not until he gets home. Would she say yes or…?

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An hour later, both House and Cameron are being wheeled into the OR, and Cameron is holding House's hand. "It'll be okay. You'll see," she says, giving him one more squeeze before they're pulled apart.

Minutes later, the surgery starts with them be put under. While one team works on opening up and taking out half of Cameron's liver, the other team works on opening up and taking out all of House's diseased liver.

All goes well. The nurses wheel them both into recovery. House comes to first and calls Jimmy in.

"Get my keys, go look in the very bottom dresser drawer on the far right side. At the back, under the black fleece blanket, there's a ring box. Get it and bring it to me."

"Oh my God…your Grandmother's ring?"

"Yeah…"

"You're gonna…."

"Yes! Now go get the damn ring before she wakes up!"

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"I swear to God if you don't get out of my fucking way I'm gonna shove this cane so far up your ass it'll come out your mouth! She's been out for two HOURS! That's NOT normal!" House yells at the doctor and nurse as he limps more heavily than usual to Cameron's bed. "Ally, Ally c'mon honey, wake up," he says, gently patting her face. But nothing happens, she just lays there. "Get her to MRI, I want a whole body work up. I want to know why she's not waking up!" he says, but then there's a soft moan. He spins around and sees a small slit in her green eyes open.

"Good to see you're still loud as a jet plane," she croaks softly, her voice dry and scratchy.

"Oh thank God," House groans and pulls a chair to her bed and holds her hand. He turns to look at the others in the room. "Get out! This is an A and B conversation, so CEE your way out!" he shouts at them, and they all roll their eyes, but Cameron can't stop herself from snickering, which ends up making her cough. "Hang on," he says, getting up and pouring a small bit of water into a plastic cup for her, adding a bendy straw. He holds it for her while she slowly sips. "You scared the shit out of me, Ally. You've been out for two hours. And that's not including the hour long surgery."

"I guess I'm not good with anesthesia," she murmurs, then rubs her face a bit and blinks, looking down at her left hand. "What the…" she murmurs, then rubs her face a bit more, trying to clear her eyes, as things are still a little blurry. House just grins as he watches her.

"Oh…oh my God…" she murmurs, her jaw dropping as she looks at what is clearly an antique engagement ring. Finally she realizes she needs to breathe, so she takes in a few gasps of air, then slowly turns her head to look at House. "Is this…are you…?"

He just keeps grinning and nods a bit. "It is, and I am. Ally, I know I don't say this…ever…but… I love you. Like I said, I don't say that often, but without you…I've been miserable! I don't want to spend the rest of my life without you. And…I'm ashamed of how I acted. I know you're the one person who's always there to look out for me, who's always wanted what's best for me, even before we got together. Even after all I did was push you away for years," he says, then gives a bit of a smile. "So…? Whaddaya say?"

Cameron looks down at the antique ring, and then back at House and shakes her head 'no'. "I…" she starts, sighing, her eyes once again blurring, but this time by tears. House's face falls in clear devastation. "I….Greg I…" she can't stop the little sob that leaves her throat. She looks at the ring, and then back at him. "Yes," she says, smiling at him, knowing she'd thrown him off.

House can't stop the huge smile that breaks out on his face. "You deserve much better than me…so much better. But I've never been happier that someone decided to give this old bastard another chance," he says, then leans up and kisses her lips, caressing her face as he does so.

_**I really miss your hair in my face,**_

_**And the way your innocence tastes!**_

_**And I think you should know this,**_

_**You deserve much better than me!**_

_**And I think you should know this!**_

_**You deserve much better than me!**_

_**And I think you should know this!**_

_**You deserve much better than me!**_

_**And I think you should know this,**_

_**You deserve much better than me!**_

_**And I think you should know this!**_

_**You deserve much better than me!  
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